Last year, there were 1.83 million pets insured, and experts say that number is climbing.

There are a few caveats with pet insurance, Dr. Weeks says. A majority of the plans do not cover shots and checkups. They only cover the big medical expenses, like treatments and surgery. Additionally, many plans will make you pay the bill in full and then they'll reimburse you after.

"There are similarities as far as pre-existing conditions,” says Dr. Weeks. “If your pet already has an illness and you try to get insurance, a lot of times insurance won't cover that."

As far as the best pet insurance goes, Consumer Watchdog’s top three picks include: Healthy Paws, Pet Plan and Embrace Pet Insurance.

"To be honest, when I have owners come in who have pet insurance, it's a huge relief on my part,” says Dr. Weeks. “So, I can offer standards of care of medicine and do the best that we can for those patients."

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